Last season, McCoy totaled 17 solo tackles and six sacks

John Ross got up to top speed Clark Harris Jersey , ran past a defender and caught Andy Dalton's long pass in stride, drawing an ovation from the approximately 950 fans watching the first practice of Bengals camp.A day later, he made another impressive catch on a deep throw and heard more applause.Fans haven't seen any of this since the Bengals made him their first overall pick last year.The speedy receiver from Washington expected to show his big-play ability during his first season in Cincinnati. Instead, he missed most of camp while recovering from shoulder surgery and wound up playing in only three games.He didn't catch a pass and fumbled on a reverse — the only time he got the ball — before another shoulder injury ended his season.As debuts go, it was about as bad as it gets. He was playing catch-up from the start because of his injury, and every mistake got magnified."It was everything," Ross said. "When one thing went wrong, six things went wrong. Not to make excuses, but it was so much more than me making one mistake on the field. I think it kind of beat me up mentally and took me away from my game."The Bengals are trying to dig out of one of the worst seasons offensively in franchise history. They finished last in the league in yards in 2017, a franchise first. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was given wide latitude to overhaul the playbook.The offensive line has been revamped. Coach Marvin Lewis has said repeatedly that the offense needs to have more big plays this season Womens Malik Jefferson Jersey , the kind they thought Ross would provide when they took him with the ninth overall pick in the draft.Ross ran a record time of 4.22 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, and the Bengals envisioned him providing another deep threat to A.J. Green. Instead, Ross barely got on the field. He's been healthy and making a good impression."I've kind of showed that I can relax and play the game I'm used to playing," Ross said. "Mentally, that was the toughest challenge for me last year. Being hurt kind of messed with me throughout the whole year. When you're beat mentally, I don't think you can really be yourself."Ross was still recovering from shoulder surgery when camp opened in 2017 and wasn't cleared to practice at the outset. He wound up playing in only two preseason games and making one catch for 6 yards, his total contribution to the passing game last year.He's already way ahead of last year."John Ross has done things this offseason we saw at the University of Washington," said Duke Tobin, director of player personnel. "We're looking for him to take the next step."EIFERT BACK: Tight end Tyler Eifert was cleared to practice on Monday after working out on a side field the first four days of camp. Eifert was limited to two games last season before more back problems required another surgical procedure. He signed a one-year contract loaded with incentives.Eifert mostly worked out with the backups on Monday. He made a couple of diving plays late in practice, drawing applause from fans."I could understand how it would be frustrating as fans http://www.thebengalslockerroom.com/authentic-nick-vigil-jersey , hearing, 'Oh, he's on (injury) list again or whatever,'" Eifert said. "But trust me, it's 100 times more frustrating for me because all I want to do is be out there, and I'm doing literally everything I can, spending all my time trying to get back out there and stay out there with the guys."H-back Ryan Hewitt also was cleared to join practice, leaving only linebacker Vontaze Burfict yet to get approval to practice. Burfict is suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancers. Joe Mixon David Kohl-USA TODAY SportsJoe Mixon wasn’t letting another big-name free agent slip under the Bengals radar. He tweeted out to the team following the release of former Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. The defensive line isn’t a huge cause for concern in Cincinnati, but it’s certainly a position that could be improved on. Their two current defensive tackles are Geno Atkins and Andrew Billings. McCoy, if possible http://www.thebengalslockerroom.com/authentic-william-jackson-jersey , would be a nice addition alongside Atkins, a two-time All-Pro member and a seven-time Pro Bowlers. Last season, McCoy totaled 17 solo tackles and six sacks in 17 games. If he were added, McCoy would replace Billings. Last season, in Billings 16 games, he secured 22 solo tackles and 2.5 sacks. Although McCoy clearly showed better numbers in 2018, it’s key to note that Billings is seven years younger and was drafted with the Bengals fourth-round pick in 2016. At the same time, the second thing to note is that McCoy’s current (now former) salary was $13 million. Mike Brown, not known as a big spender, likely wouldn't give McCoy what the market might offer. Billings makes under $750 Mark Walton Jersey White ,000.Andrew Brown, Ryan Glasgow, Josh Tupou and Renell Wren are all also listed as defensive tackles, so the Bengals certainly aren’t short of bodies on the line. Five of the six have played in the league less than five seasons. Adding an experienced player like McCoy, if he could keep up with the younger, more energetic players, wouldn’t be a bad idea. In SB Nation’s 2018 defensive line rankings, the Bengals were put in the “Need to pour resources into fixing this thing” section. Let’s just say: they haven’t fixed it yet. McCoy may not be the fix, but it might be a start.